A good old-fashioned pie for
March, when in most places
we still don't have a
lot of fresh fruit. Graham Cracker
Pie is
a "homey" pie—nothing
fancy, but a nice blend of flavors and textures-the
crunch of the graham cracker, the creamy
vanilla filling, and the light meringue.

I
remember my mother making this pie—I'm not
sure where she got the recipe, but there's
a good chance it came from Aunt
Alice.

Although
for most graham
cracker crusts I prefer not
to use sugar, since the crust is so dominant
in this pie I think the sugar is good. And
the cinnamon adds a wonderful touch (and
makes the kitchen smell great). I'm not sure
what the teaspoon of flour adds, but I put
it in since my mom did!

Prepare
graham cracker crumbs by food processor or
hand (see Tips from Jane,
below). Add sugar and melted butter and combine.
This will
require
a few pulses in the food processor or a few
seconds mixing by hand in a bowl.

Reserve
about 1/2 cup of crumbs for sprinkling
on top of pie.

Press the remaining crumbs
into a 9-inch pie pan, spreading them evenly
over the
bottom and sides.

Bake for about 8-10
minutes.

Lower oven temperature to 325
degrees.

Filling Ingredients:

3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 TB cornstarch
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar and cornstarch in
a small bowl.

Beat egg yolks in a kettle,
and then add the sugar/cornstarch and
stir well. Gradually
add the milk, stirring constantly.
Heat over medium burner until it
is thick and boiling;
this will take about 5-10 minutes.
Add
the vanilla and pour into prepared
pie shell.
Cover filling with plastic
wrap while you prepare the meringue.

Meringue
Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
4 TB sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat egg whites until frothy,
then add the cream of tartar,
beating until soft
peaks
begin to form. Gradually
add the sugar and beat until the meringue
forms stiff
peaks.
If you lift some with a
spoon or
spatula, it should form
a peak
that stands up.
The meringue will also
look shiny. Beat in
the vanilla.

Remove the
plastic wrap from the pie and spread
the meringue
over
the hot
filling.
Start by spreading it
around the edges, being sure to
seal the edges.
Sprinkle
the top
with the reserved graham
cracker crumbs.

Bake at
325 degrees until lightly browned, about
20 minutes.

Tips from Jane

• Prepare graham cracker
crumbs by one of two methods:
- Coarsely break crackers and place in
the food processor. Process with metal
blade
until finely pulverized
- Place crackers in a plastic bag and crush
them with a rolling pin

• You can buy crushed graham cracker crumbs.
I have to admit I was surprised to see
them for sale, since it really doesn't take much
to make them. But if you prefer, buy a
box and see if it makes life easier!

• You can also buy pre-made graham cracker
crusts. They tend to be more solid than
home made ones and hold their shape better, but
they also tend to be higher in fat and
include preservatives. The advantage is that you
can buy some and keep them in the cupboard
for when you need a pie in a hurry. If
you buy for this recipe, you'll still need some
crumbs for the topping.

• This meringue recipe is a little simpler
than the meringue I recommend for Lemon
Meringue Pie or Grapefruit
Meringue Pie. Since the
meringue is topped with crumbs on this
pie, it is not as visible and doesn't require
the extra work of adding cornstarch to
stabilize the egg whites. If you prefer, however, you
may use the Pie-Top
Meringue recipe.